This invention relates generally to slot machines, also known as coin operated gaming machines, and more specifically to a category of slot machines wherein one, or a plurality of reels may move up or down by one position to place a symbol at a winning line after the reels come to a complete stop.
Slot machines are well known, and have been around for many years. A traditional mechanical slot machine includes a plurality of symbols that are mapped on the periphery of a plurality of rotating reels. The reels are randomly stopped and a win decision is made based on the combination of symbols stopping on a single winning line, or a plurality of winning lines. One popular category of slot machines employs a feature that causes one, or a plurality of the reels, to move such that a symbol or a plurality of symbols are placed at a winning line after the reels come to a complete stop. A reel can move up or down by one position, and the winning decision is made after such move or moves take place. Examples of such gaming machines include the “Double Diamond” slot machines, wherein certain symbols incorporate an up and/or down arrow. If a reel is stopped such that a symbol with an arrow pointing to the winning line is one position away from said winning line, then the reel will move one position to place that symbol at the winning line. A second example is the “Phantom” slot machine, wherein the movement of a symbol towards the winning line does not depend on the position of an arrow symbol relative to a wining line, and appears to be random to the player.
In both of the above described examples, the player has no control over when or in what direction a symbol may move towards a winning line. The slot machine described in this invention incorporates manual controls that enable a player to manually establish this feature for one or a plurality of reels before the start of game play.